Installation

Install

npm

npm install -D vitest vite vitest-native @testing-library/react-native

yarn

yarn add -D vitest vite vitest-native @testing-library/react-native

pnpm

pnpm add -D vitest vite vitest-native @testing-library/react-native

bun

bun add -d vitest vite vitest-native @testing-library/react-native

vitest and vite are peer dependencies. @testing-library/react-native is optional, but the guides use it. One plugin replaces three — you don't need a separate RN mock library, a JSX plugin, or a jest preset.

Configure

npx vitest-native init writes this config for you (vitest.config.mts in a TypeScript project), or add the plugin yourself:

// vitest.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { reactNative } from 'vitest-native'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [reactNative()],
})

If anything looks off, npx vitest-native doctor checks your versions, engine and presets. The plugin auto-injects its setup file, configures @testing-library/react-native if installed, stubs assets, and resolves platform-specific files. No manual setupFiles, no @react-native/jest-preset, no transformIgnorePatterns.

Requirements

	Supported
Node.js	22.22.3+ on Node 22, 24.12+ on Node 24, or 26+
Vitest	5.x (5.1.0 or later recommended)
Vite	^8.0.5
React	19 or later
React Native	0.86–0.88
Expo SDK	57 and 58
React Native Testing Library	13.x or 14.x (optional)

Use the React version your React Native release requires, and a @react-native/babel-preset that matches its minor version. Each Node line starts at the release where Node's in-thread module hooks work; on an older Node the plugin stops at startup with UNSUPPORTED_NODE. Vitest 5.0.x runs, but with Vite 8.3.5 or later it can hide a startup error behind "No test files found" (vitest-dev/vitest#11682), so the plugin warns once at startup below 5.1.0.

The default engine: 'native' needs @react-native/babel-preset and @babel/core — these already ship with React Native projects. In an Expo app without @react-native/babel-preset the engine uses Expo's own preset instead, which expo brings with @babel/core, so an Expo app needs nothing extra. The plugin uses them to Flow-strip real React Native, the same toolchain RN already uses.

The opt-in engine: 'mock' needs no Babel — it's just Vite.

Optional peer: RNTL

@testing-library/react-native (RNTL 13–14) is an optional peer dependency. If it's installed, the plugin configures it automatically — you don't set hostComponentNames yourself. RNTL 14 uses async rendering APIs.

Next: Quick Start walks through writing and running your first test.